strategy plan 2016-2017 - heinrich böll foundation · the final version of strategic plan was...

Strategy Plan2016-2017

CONTACT GROUPYOUTHS’ POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Table of Contents

Preamble from Secretariat ..................................................................... 5The strategic planning process ............................................................... 7Core Values ............................................................................................. 8Vision ...................................................................................................... 9Mission.................................................................................................... 9Beneficiaries and Stakeholders .............................................................. 9Introduction & Background of Contact Group ...................................... 10Achievement so far ................................................................................. 11Contact Group Structure ........................................................................ 12SOWL analysis ........................................................................................ 12Context analysis ...................................................................................... 15Central Committee authorization .......................................................... 18Contact group Strategy and Intervention outline .................................. 19Intervention 1: Networking .................................................................... 19Intervention 2: Capacity-building .......................................................... 25Intervention 3: Advocacy ....................................................................... 29Strategy Plan Implementation ............................................................... 34Monitoring, Evaluation and Audit ......................................................... 34Audit ....................................................................................................... 36Institutional & members’ capacity-building .......................................... 36

Youths’ Political Participation strategy plan 2016-2017/ 5

Preamble from Secretariat

In order to provide a clear direction to the work of the Contact Group in the coming two years 2016-2017, Contact Group through a participatory approach, identified programmatic interventions that will enable the Contact Group to move forward towards achieving its vision and mission. The interlinked interventions are complementary and based on the Contact Group’s clients’ needs and the capacity of the Contact Group.

A willingness to work together and get engaged the youths participating in political processes at the national level, demonstrate a collective commitment to encourage the marginalized youths who are intended to be included in the political, social and economic and cultural processes, create self-confidence and contribute to sustainable peaceful development are to overall vision of the Contact Group.

For the greater outcome, the Contact Group has to highlight the changes it would like to see in the society and also its contribution and efforts to achieve the expected impact. Within this context, the Contact Group is committed to enhance its professional capacity to effectively and efficiently perform its interventions.

The implementation of this strategy will require carefully structured

6 \Youths’ Political Participation strategy plan 2016-2017

approaches consisting of a work-plan for implementation such as Annual Budget-plan, Annual Work-plan and Monthly Action Plans. Each of these will be developed and put in place by the management of Contact Group.

Contact Group management has to be focused on sharing the vision, mission, core values and strategies of the Contact Group with the staff and stakeholders to align them in achieving the vision and mission of the Contact Group.

I would like to cordially thank Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs) staff who devoted their time and financial resources and contributed to the development of the Strategic plan. I would also like to appreciate the efforts of Contact Group members to contribute in the development of the Strategic Plan and shared their lesson learned and viewpoints with us based on their firsthand information from the society and working areas of Contact Group.

In order to have a greater impact, the Contact Group must articulate the changes it would like to see in the society and be even clearer about its own contributions towards realizing those changes.

Executive Committee of Contact Group


The strategic planning process

With the consultation of Contact Group, Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs) recruited an Afghan independent consultant to develop the Strategic plan. The consultant reviewed Contact Group’s existing papers such as Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a tentative action plan aimed at understanding the Contact Group overall mandate and programmatic areas. hbs invited all group’s members and representatives of Youth Lead Organizations to participate in a three day strategic-plan development workshop which was held in Kabul. Prior to the workshop, the consultant held consultation meeting with the hbs program coordinator to consider his inputs and viewpoints during strategic-plan development. The process adopted in the workshop was participatory through different exercises and trainings; discussions were carried out to develop a practical and workable Strategy Plan.

In a participatory manner, the participants were asked to work on SWOL analysis and develop the impacts and causes of each component of SWOL which were considered during readjusting the Contact Group’s prior strategic interventions. Based upon Contact Group’s acquired expertise, the participants developed vision; mission and focused on Contact Group’s


core values, the strategies toward achieving the vision and mission were discussed, analyzed and drafted. Similarly, the core values of the Contact Group were critically evaluated and articulated within the contexts of the vision and the new mission statement.

Based on Contact Group’s current capacity and needs for interventions, the secretariat of the Contact Group had a critical review of the interventions that the Contact Group would like to undertake in order to achieve its vision, mission and strategic goals. During the process of developing the Strategic Plan, the consultant and the members of the Contact Group critically assessed the capacity of the Contact Group. After articulating the vision of Contact Group, a critical review of the mission was conducted, and in the light of the vision, Contact Group’s contribution was critically reviewed and articulated as the mission statement and strategic goals for the Contact Group.

In order to be able to implement the approaches and strategies, a systematic pathway was identified with a corresponding timeframe and the responsibilities of staffs which would enable the Contact Group to be focused on its vision and mission. The Strategic Plan comprised two complementary working documents/tools in the form of Annual Contact Group Work-plan and Annual Contact Group Budget. These two documents will serve as the executive tool for the effective management of Contact Group’s performance.

The final version of Strategic Plan was circulated to the members of Contact Group which was considered as approved. Later, the Board of Founders, Executive Board and Board of Directors authorized the implementation of the Strategy Plan, fiscal 2016-2017 and expressed his/her commitment to realizing it within the two years.

Core Values

CommitmentBelief in vision and mission

Rule of LawEqual and non-discriminated law enforcement

Pluralism


Belief in diversity and culture of coexistence

National UnityInclusive nation and state-building

AccountabilityConsidering & respecting the highest interest of clients and stakeholders

IntegrationFocusing on coherent and consistent approaches

Social JusticeInclusive political, social, economic and cultural participation

Vision

A sustainable peaceful Afghanistan where Youths enjoy political, economic, social and cultural development

Mission

Realizing sustainable political, economic, social and cultural development through youths’ meaningful inclusion in power and decision-making, enhancing the culture of convergence and tolerant, advocating for non-discrimination, motivating and encouraging the youths, civil and political institutions to influence on national processes

Beneficiaries and Stakeholders

• Clients/Beneficiaries: Youths

• Government Institutions: Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Cultural and

Information (Youth affairs), Presidential Administrative office and other relevant

government ministries

• Technical Partner: Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs)


Introduction & Background of Contact Group

The democratic environment over the last decade provided a crucial opportunity for civil and political activities in Afghanistan in which not only political parties but also civil society organizations, youth groups and networks were founded to consolidate democracy and endeavor to push forward their participation in politics and society. In terms youth organizations and activities, their first experience and steps were effective but they have act individually and their activities were limited which undermined their leading role as social and political dynamism in Afghan society and politics. Therefore, a small civil-political youth groups and organizations raised the idea of coming up to start an informal series of track2 meetings. Initially the track2 meetings held in The Liaison Office (TLO) with representatives of Afghanistan 1400, Afghanistan Awareness and Analysis (A3), Wadan Afghanistan, and Solidarity Network for Change, New Line Organization, Afghanistan 3rd Trend later few more groups like and Afghanistan Green Youth National Coalition, Young Activists Network for Reform and Change and Afghanistan Forward

The Contact Group which is an umbrella of youth groups, networks and organizations has been serving as a platform for young civil-political


actors since January 2014. The platform aims at providing the ground for systematic exchange of ideas and strategic clarification of political vision that reflects the interest of youth as well as identify and integrate the scattered youth groups, networks and organizations to ensure their leading role in democratic development and successful transformation in the coming decade (2015-2024).

The Contact Group would facilitate the ground for youth engagement in dialogues and strive to act as a collective measure to influence government related policies, strategies, programs and agenda to reflect and ensure the interest of young people in future.

Achievement so far

• Drafting a Policy paper out of the three conferences facilitated by the Lesion office (TLO) by the name of The Age of Youth: The Peaceful Shaping of Afghanistan’s Transition Decade. Link: http://af.boell.org/2014/07/17/age-youth-peaceful-shaping-afghanistans-transition-decade

• Finalizing the Memorandum of Understanding for contact Group

• Finalizing MoU between Contact Group and HBS office, Kabul

• Conducting several meetings with EU Parliamentarians in Kabul, German Embassy, Afghanistan Government Officials who work in youth affairs

• Conducting two workshops for preparation of strategic Plan for Contact Group

• Drafting Action Plan for the year 2015 including developing the strategic plan

• Launching events in Kabul for youths in Youths Day with more than 120 youths

• Launching a three-day workshop for youths Strategic Plan Foundation

• Drafting a ToR for the General Secretary of the Group

• Drafting a ToR for the Board of Directors


Contact Group Structure

SOWL analysis

Strengths:

• Qualified and trustful members

Cause: educated committed youths

Impact: quality performance

• Capacity for political inclusion and participation

Cause: relevant education and qualification

Impact: raised youths’ voice at the national and international levels

Weakness:

• Lack of ownership of initiatives among Contact Group members

Cause: lack of self-confidence, socialism and national sentiment

Impact: missed opportunities for political participation

• Frustration and radicalism

Cause: traditional practices and beliefs

Impact: lack of convergence amongst Contact Group members

• Emotionality

Executive Committee

Networking Portfolio

Capacity Building Portfolio

Advocacy Portfolio

Central Council

General Assembly

M&E department


• Diverse members in-term of religion, culture and ethnicity

Cause: joint vision to rea-lize youths’ rights

Impact: enhanced solidarity and national unity

• Shared values for political stability

Cause: understanding the Afghan context

Impact: replacing classic and traditional governance with modern democratic governance

• Members commitment towards civil and political participation and desire for change and transformation

Cause: sense of responsibility and patriotism

Impact: opened space for youths political inclusion

• Ability to establish con-tact amongst youths at the central and provincial levels

Cause: social networks and technological facilities

Impact: somehow linked the youths at the national level

Cause: lack of experience in political participation

Impact: losing opportunities for political participation

• Gender imbalance

Cause: lack of civil and political awareness young female

Impact: male-dominated initiatives

• Lack of clarity among CG members regarding the CG and individual organizations goal, activities and programs

Cause: lack of ownership, secretariat’s inability and procrastinating the due activities

Impact: mismanagement in CG activities

• Lack of structures within the Contact Group

Cause: not paying attention on developing a codified policy and strategic plan, lack of procedural policies

Impact: losing potential members, deviation in CG principles and activities

• Inadequate commitment amongst some of CG members

Cause: not considering the CG


Opportunity:

•Talented youths suppor-ting the Contact Group and interested to be part of the Contact Group

Cause: interested to be part of the political participation and decision-making at the nati-onal level

Impact: visible and construc-tive presence of youths in the society

• Opportunities for civil and political activities

Cause: democratic environ-ment

Impact: public sense enhance-ment

• Space for emerging you-ths’ talents

Cause: youths ability to emerge their talents

Impact: motivating the entire youths population for self-confidence building

• Space for advocacy in different fields

Cause: democracy and freed-om of protests

agreement

Impact: not holding regular meetings in the leadership council

Limitation:

• Generation gap and deficit of pro-youth politics

Cause: extreme discrimination, influence of tribal leaders, ruling tribal political parties

Impact: marginalized the youths from civil and political participation

• Penetration on youths to misuse youths’ power

Cause: lack of civil and political awareness amongst youths

Impact: marginalizing the youths from political participation

• Legacy of political leadership and governance

Cause: continuance of traditional leadership

Impact: monopolizing power in the hands of specific groups

• Lack of transparency in government departments while getting employed

Cause: relation preferences rather


Impact: getting involved the youths in political and social participation for policy changes and recommendation

• Presence of funding agen-cies

Cause: supporting the civil institutions to establish a democratic society

Impact: inclusive civil and political participation

than rules and regulations

Impact: wide administrative corruption

• Administrative corruption

Cause: corrupted governmental officials

Impact: lack of employability and deprived of political inclusion

• Fundamentalism

Cause: traditional practices and lack of belief in modernization

Impact: misuse of traditional power

Context analysis

Participation is a fundamental right. It is one of the guiding principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that has been reiterated in many other Conventions and Declarations. Through active participation, youths are empowered to play a vital role in their own development as well as in that of their communities, helping them to learn vital life-skills, develop knowledge on civil and political participation, citizenship and to promote positive civic action. The international community has reaffirmed its commitment to youth participation through UN General Assembly resolution 58/133, which reiterates the “importance of the full and effective participation of youth and youth-led organizations at the local, national, regional and international levels.

Development programs in Afghanistan have largely ignored the voices of young people. Afghanistan has one of the world’s fastest growth rates at 2.8%, and two thirds of the country (63%1) is under the age of 24, yet the policies that shape their future are being formulated with little understanding


of who the youth are, or what they exactly want.1 Afghan youths remain largely outside the radar of policy-makers; while reconstruction and development have not matched their high expectations and many young people still feel politically disenfranchised. Insurgent groups in some parts of the country use this growing frustration to recruit more young people in their ranks. In other words, the segment of the population that could be utilized as an engine to rebuild Afghanistan could instead become a threat.

Political Participation:

The interest in politics is clear for the majority of Afghan youth whether they are very interested in politics (42%) or somewhat interested in politics (22.8%), politics is part of Afghan youth’s reality. The top four provinces with the highest interests in politics are Kabul, Herat, Kunduz and Balkh. On the other end of the spectrum, in Kandahar and Paktia, those who are not at all interested in politics outnumbered those who are. In the remaining 30 provinces, the majority of youths interested varying degree of interest in politics. 18.1% of women are very interested in politics, most of whom are based in Kabul. Given the conservative nature of society, the number of women who are not interested in politics is highest in Kandahar (47%), Paktia (64.3%) and Nangarhar (39.8%). This interest is not reflected in the degree and nature of participation in political activities. 80.9% of the youths are not actively involved in any political party. Of those who are, 8.9% are a part of a student or youth association whilst 6.4% are a part of religious groups.2 The lack of youth participation could be indicative of not enough platforms that allow youth to participate in political activities or a lack of initiative and desire in the youth themselves to translate their interest into participation.

Being a Politician

Those who want to be politicians come mostly from the 4 main provinces Kabul, Herat, Balkh and Nangarhar. The majority of them (49.9%) are

1 Afghanistan’s Future-in-Transition, A participatory assessment of the Afghan Youths2 Ibid


between 17 and 19 years of age located in urban locations. Being a politician is connected with the preference for government jobs as a means of secure employment. It is also connected with an implicit assumption that being a politician mean being a leader, highlighting youth perceptions of who yields power in Afghan society. However, it is not clear whether these aspirations pertained to being politicians at the local, district leaders or at the national level seeing themselves as ministers and the President. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it is a mixture of both, with aspirations being for the national level, but a more realistic aim being leaders at the local level. These aspirations are also predominant amongst men rather than women.3

Beyond 2014, it is less clear what role youth will play in Afghan politics. There is a demographic inevitability to the sheer number of young people who will join the national political and social processes. These youths will face economic and political challenges, yet also have great potential. A far greater percentage of them are educated than in their parent’s generation, and they are more likely to have spent time abroad, to have been exposed to new ideas through television and other forms of media, and to have come of age during one of the most democratic periods in Afghanistan’s history. And yet in a political system that stifles opposition, these characteristics of post-2001 youth may engender disillusionment or worse, radicalization, as occurred in the generation of young people active in the 1960s and 1970s.4

The youths appear to be more concerned with building the country’s future than litigating their past, which has been dominated by warlords, ethnic conflicts, and civil wars. There are yet ethnic conflicts and division amongst elders, but the youths seem to be united as the younger generation’s emergence as a powerful political force has gone beyond symbolic actions by participating in national process.

In 2013, under the leadership of the Ministry of Information and Culture’s Office of the Deputy Ministry of Youth Affairs, and with the participation of all 13 line ministries, The Afghanistan National Youth Policy has been developed. The policy aims at serving different purposes but the one which legitimize the youths’ political participation and strategy plan development

3 Ibid4 Youth Mobilization and Political Constraints in Afghanistan, UISP, Anna Larson and Noah Coburn, 2014


is focused on “Promoting opportunities for political, economic, social and cultural youth participation at the national, sub-national and local level”.5

Central Committee authorization

It is a great honor to have Contact Group’s Strategic (CG) Plan for the period of 2016-2017. The Strategic Plan has been developed in a participatory manner which incorporates the viewpoints of CG’s Central Committee, members. The representative of Member youth groups have the pleasure to approve this strategic plan for the period of 2016-2017 and will support its implementation. The signatories of this strategy would like to request the Executive Committee to make the necessary efforts towards the realization of the vision and mission of the CG. It is obvious that all the plans need to be fully understood, implemented, monitored, evaluated and revised if necessary. It is the job of the Executive Committee CG to share the plan with all members and make systematic efforts towards its proper implementation, and monitoring the progress with respect to its implementation.

NameRepresented organizations

Signature

5 Afghanistan National Youth Policy, 2013


Contact group Strategy and Intervention outline

Strategy: Youths’ Political participation

Strategic Goal: Enhancing youths’ political participation aiming at transforming political leadership from charismatic and traditional prac-tices into modern youths-led practices

Target GroupYouths (both female and male political and civil activists)

Interventions Outline:

Intervention 01: Networking

Intervention 02: Capacity Building

Intervention 03: Advocacy

Intervened Provinces: 34 provinces of Afghanistan

Intervention 1: Networking,

Goal: Building networks amongst youths-led institutions and individual civil and political activists aimed at establishing a single political address

Why we want to work on this Strategic Goal?

Social networking through different tools has played a significant role in the lives of Afghan youth to establish networks around the country. The use of technology is common to the attempts of young people to get mobilized politically, previous and recent social and political gatherings could be the best examples for mobilizing and connecting to youths. Most of the groups and individual social and political activists have Facebook pages that they use to communicate, but there is no adequate and concrete evidence of this inspiring serious political change; many of the commanders in the political elite also have such pages. If in the West and recently in the Middle-East Twitter and Facebook have allowed individuals to share information with each other quickly in order to protest injustices by politicians, in Afghanistan, where youth action is being strictly limited, sharing such information does little to change the system itself. It has actually accentuated some of the


negative aspects of the existing system, with ethnic tensions playing out even more aggressively online than they do in reality due to the Internet providing anonymous platforms for voicing opinions. By thinking more broadly, however, there are ways to encourage political spaces for young people that are not dominated by certain parties or national-level political leaders. Spaces that on the surface appear apolitical associations such as sports clubs can still encourage young people to organize and discuss their political concerns in a forum that is free from the control of local elites. Such spaces need not be physical. Television, particularly talk shows that discuss political issues, and the Internet allow for politically transparent conversations that are not available for young people elsewhere.6 The widespread use of new media and communications technology have provided youths a space for new forms of civic and political participation, and increased opportunities in volunteering but such communication needs to be consistent and coherent aimed at establishing a single voice for youths’ political participation.

How we want to work on this Strategic Goal?

The Contact Group (CG) aim to initially build the CG’s administrative structure and specified Website then launch meetings with group members to establish common good amongst the existing members. An assigned team would arrange provincial trip to visit similar-minded youth groups to share its common interests or grounds, shared values and experience. In order to keep the network functional, the CG would launch debates, dialogues through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Weblogs and CG website.

What changes we will bring?

• Traditional and elder-dominated government structures has changed and youths have had enough rooms to occupy political sets and positions

• Youths’ individual political movements has changed into a single pressure tool to influence and include the youths in national political decision-making processes and policies

• Youths have had meaningful influence on political settings

6 Youth Mobilization and Political Constraints in Afghanistan, UISP, Anna Larson and Noah Coburn, 2014


Intervention 1: Networking

Client Group Youths (both female and male political and civil activists

Objectives

1. To increase the number of Contact Group members from 5 to 50 members by the end of 2016

2. To launch 2 conference/gathering by the end of 20163. To facilitate 2 youth’s regional dialogues inviting participants from India, Pakistan

and Afghanistan by the end of 2017 4. To establish social networks such as CG website, face-book, twitter, Google+ by the

end of March 20165. To publish and print out 12 bimonthly magazines by the end of 20176. To establish networks amongst youths’ institutions and youth social and political

activists by travelling to eight zones by the end of 2017 7. To facilitate 5 gatherings (National events……) through inviting youths’ institutions

and youth social and political activists and government officials by the end of 2017 8. To establish eight volunteer sub-committees in Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, Kandahar

and Bamyan by the end of 20169. To establish linkages with German Green Youth party and EU youth Parliament by

the end of 2016

Output

1. The number of Contact Group members increased from 5 to 50 members and a number of 45 new members joint Contact Group

2. 2 conference/ gathering, debates and seminars launched 3. 2 youth’s regional dialogues facilitated in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan 4. Social networks such as website, face-book, twitter, Google+ established 5. 12 monthly magazines published and printed out 6. Eight trips to establish networks amongst youths’ institutions and youth social and

political activists arranged 7. Eight gatherings inviting youths’ institutions and youth social and political activists

and government officials facilitated 8. Eight field volunteer sub-committees in Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, Kandahar and

Bamyan established

Outcome

1. The Contact Group members has been converted into a single interlinked political power

2. The contact Group has positively influenced the policies and political decisions3. The networks of Contact Group have actively taken part in national and international

processes related to Afghanistan4. By meaningful inclusion, the networks of Contact Group have supported good

governance in Afghanistan 5. The networks of Contact Group have participated in political leadership by physical

presence to occupy sets and provide consultation

Impact Youths’ groups have meaningfully linked with the national and international political entities

Networking Key Activities Who

When

Indicators Assumption2016 2017


To increase the number of Contact Group

members from 5 to 50 members by the end of

2016

Conducting a survey through which CG could identify the total numbers of Youths’ political/ civic activist groups across the country

Contact group

Survey report & number of groups identified

Budget limitation and instability may not let the CG to conduct a country-wide survey

Establishing a Database with required detailed information on these groups

Networking Team

Established database

Filtering the groups based on CG requirements

Networking Team

Filtered groups list

Drafting membership procedure

Networking Team

Drafted membership procedure

Selection Process: Selection of 65 active groups to become member of CG (45 as members and 20 pipeline/ waiting list)

Networking Team

Listed of selected and waiting members

Contacting the selected groups and negotiate the terms and conditions of becoming member of CG

Networking Team

List of contacted members and minutes of negotiation meetings held

Finalizing the process of membership of at least 50 groups

Networking Team

To launch 2 conference/gathering by

the end of 2016

Organizing the national youth conference in August 2016

Networking Team

Conference report, list of participants attended the conference

Organizing a gathering on a current political issue such as Parliamentary Election or Electoral Laws and Mechanisms in May 2016.

Networking Team

Seminar report, list of participants attended the seminar


To facilitate 2 youth’s regional

dialogues inviting

participants from India,

Pakistan and Afghanistan by the end of

2017

Organizing the second one week youth regional dialogue in December 2016 in Islamabad for 3 civil activists of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

Networking Team

youth regional dialogue achievements and report

Budget limitation

Organizing the third one week youth regional dialogue in August 2017 in Central Asian Countries for 3 civil activists of Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asian’s Republic

Networking Team

youth regional dialogue achievements and report

Budget limitation

To establish social

networks such as CG

website, face-book, twitter, Google+ by the end of

March 2016

Establishing the CG social networks and promoting the webpages in March 2016

Networking Team

Established functioning webpages and other social networks

Available telecomm-unication technology

Designing Contact Group website by the end of May 2016

Networking Team

Established functioning CG website

To publish and print out 12 bimonthly

magazines by the end of

2017

Calling for articles and collecting/ editing the new coming articles in March 2016.

Networking Team

Established and printed monthly Bulletin

Youths’ interests in being updated with youths’ affairs

Printing and distributing the first issue by the end of March 2016.

Networking Team

Printed and distributed the first monthly Bulletin

Working on the monthly Bulletin for 20 next coming months and issuing 20th issue by the end of October 2017

Networking Team

Number of monthly Bulletin printed and distributed

To establish networks amongst youths’

institutions

Working on assigning the zonal teams to visit and work with youths in different zones in March 2016

Networking Team

Name of assigned zonal team, report of achievement

Budget limitation and security concerns

Visiting Mazar-e-Sharif and meeting with Youth activists in Northern Provinces April/ May 2016

Networking Team

Minutes of meeting and achievement of visits


and youth social and political

activists by travelling to eight zones

by the end of 2017

Networking visit to Bamyan province in August 2016

Networking Team

Minutes of meeting and achievement of visits

Arranging a networking trip to Herat to meet with youth’s representatives in the western provinces in November 2016

Networking Team

Report of output & outcome of networking trip

Arranging a networking trip to Nangarhar Province in December 2016

Networking Team

Report of output & outcome networking trip

Visiting Kandahar province in March 2017

Networking Team


Visiting Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan during June 2017, launching discussions and debates with the youth’s activists

Networking Team


Discussing on Establishment of sub-committees for the provincial partners.

Networking Team

Number of functional sub-committee established

To facilitate 5 gatherings (National events……) through inviting youths’ institutions and youth social and political activists and government officials by the end of 2017

Finalizing the invitees list – whom to be invited

Networking Team

Finalized invitees list

Selection of dates on which the gathering to take place

Networking Team

Report of gathering

Selection of types of gatherings like Folkloric Music evenings, Sports events life Screen show, Political Events like parliamentarian election, etc.

Networking Team

Reports of events, photos, videos


To establish eight volunteer sub-committees in Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, Kandahar and Bamyan by the end of 2016

Arranging zonal trips to establish CG sub-committees

Networking Team

Number of sub-committees established

Budget limitation and security concerns

Revising the structure of the CG to define the sub-committees and their role in the CG

Networking Team

Revised structure of CG available

Drafting a mechanism to how engage these sub-committees in decision making process of CG

Networking Team

Drafted mechanism available

To establish linkages with German Green Youth party and EU youth Parliament by the end of 2016

Conducting a research on Youth’s Political/ Civic active groups across the globe

Networking Team

Research report available

Budget limitation

Identifying the groups who fits the requirements of CG to be further negotiated for singing an affiliation/ MoU with these groups

Networking Team

List of identified youth groups, singed MOUs available

Budget limitation

Contacting Green Youth Party and EU Youth Parliament through Email and social media.

Networking Team

Contact detail of clients, achievement reports

Budget limitation

Preparing the grounds for traveling a delegation to Europe to meet with these groups face to face and discuss the MoU contents.

Networking Team

Reports of trips, singed MOUs

Budget limitation

Intervention 2: Capacity-building,

Goal: Increasing youth’s awareness on their political participation rights and build the relevant skills to gain a full understanding of youth’s role in the social and political participation


The Afghanistan National Youth Policy considers youth’s political participation as one of their fundamental rights. It clearly explains that the future of the nation is heavily dependent on the youths who comprise a large


portion of Afghanistan’s populace. Throughout generations Afghanistan has seen its youth sidelined from all national decisions and issues and this has created a monopoly on politics by the older generation. The youths have been victims of generational gaps, limited opportunities, any real participation and capacity building platforms, while also the social upbringing and patriarchal society are playing their roles too. To change this, the youths need to take the initiative and embark on a drastic course of political participation and for that a certain level of awareness, knowledge and skills are required which will ensure a proper, suitable and inclusive political participation.

To realize youths’ meaningful participation and leadership, youths, and especially marginalized youths both female and male, need to be empowered through capacity development, skill development, and greater access to their basic social, civil and political rights, such as quality education, youth-friendly and gender sensitive healthcare, social and political participation, poverty alleviation and productive and decent employment. Efforts to create a supportive environment for participation, engagement and volunteering for youths, including through youth-led organizations, need to be multiplied in order to allow them to shape their fate and future, and should aim to build their capacities and increase their social and political participation. Efforts will also require the development of sustainable programs that focus on long-term institutionalization of meaningful youth participation. In addition, existing social, political, environmental and economic institutions need to increase their efforts of preparing to work together with youth and youth-led organizations through sustainable partnerships.7


The Contact Group secretariat will hire an independent consultant to conduct a CG members’ capacity-building and training needs-assessment so that the CG is able to design needs-based awareness and training sessions. Besides that, the Contact Group will design tailor-made training package to conduct versions rights-based trainings aimed at raising youths’ awareness on their political participation rights and build the relevant skills to gain a

7 Enhancing youth political participation throughout the electoral cycle “a good practice guide” 2012


full understanding of youth’s role in the society. These trainings will mainly focus on awareness raising and skills building sessions required for proper and meaningful political participation.


Capacity development includes the development of knowledge and skill regarding the importance of meaningful youth participation. Knowledge and skill development would further assist the youths and youths-led institutions in how these institutions and youths, through meaningful and skillful processes, can create a safe participatory space for political inclusion of youth from various backgrounds, including youths from central and provincial areas. Through conducting rights-based awareness raising and skills building session, trainees would be able to initiate and develop gender sensitive and inclusive political participatory mechanisms to ensure the meaningful participation and leadership of youth and youth-led institutions. The youths who have received needs-based trainings would be able to institutionalize sustainable mechanisms for youths’ meaningful and sustainable participation at all levels.

The overall goal of this intervention is to change the social norms and perceptions that view youth participation and leadership negatively, especially regarding young women that has caused social reluctance to include young women in decision-making processes. So, the awareness raising sessions will address such social reluctance through increased space for dialogue to positively transform social norms and perception.

Intervention 2: Capacity-Building

Client Group Youths (both female and male political and civil activists)

Objectives

1. To conduct training needs assessment (TNA) and Skills profiles by the end of April 2016

2. To conduct 5 training and awareness raising workshop by the end of 20173. Provide 2 internships for six months for 40 young graduates in political institutions

such as the parliament by the end of 2017


Output

1. The training needs assessment conducted and training needs identified2. A number of 5 trainings and awareness raising workshops conducted and a number

of? participants received awareness raising trainings 3. A number of 40 youths received hands-on and practical training in political

participation

Outcome

1. Sense of political participation in national decisions-making has been created and enhanced

2. Youths’ level of understanding on their political participation rights has increased 3. Youths have become active members of the society interested in the politics and

future of their country

Impact Youth are seen as important elements of nation’s politics


When


To conduct training needs

assessment (TNA) and

Skills profiles by the end of

April 2016

Planning training needs-assessment including hiring consultant, developing the required tools

Consultant TOR & contract, interview forms, TNA forms and questionnaires available

A suitable consultant is not found and the target audience is not identified in time

Conducting detailed training needs-assessment

TNA forms, questionnaires, interview sheets available

Identifying needs-based capacity-building trainings and point out the training gaps

Type of training sessions identified

Developing capacity-building training toolkits and modules

Training toolkits and modules developed

To conduct 5 training and

awareness raising

workshop by the end of

2017

Conducting the planned awareness raising sessions

Participants list, photographs, video, trainer contract, training agenda & training report available


Provide 5 internships

for four weeks for 200 people

in political institutions such as the parliament

by the end of 2017

Establishing contacts with the target institutions and signing MOUs

Contact lists, meeting minutes, signed MoUs & photographs on hand

Introduction of youth to the target mentors and political institutions

List and number of youths introduced to political institutions

Review the list of youth and assign youth to specific political institutions and politicians as per their talents and skills

List of nominees introduced to political institutions available

Review and debrief of youth after their internship completion

Exit forms on hand


Goal: Realizing youths inclusive and meaningful civil and political participation through lobbying and advocacy


Youths’ right to participation in formal decision-making processes and in social, economic and political institutions remains limited and their potential as a valuable resource to sustainable development, is often not recognized. Youths have actually no opportunity to meaningfully participate in decision-making processes, limited access to social, economic and political institutions in the Afghan society, resulted that youths feel excluded and marginalized in their society. The social exclusion of youths is not only a lost resource for the development of society, but also presents the risk of youths to get engaged in negative behaviors. Besides that, there is no practical advocacy-based mechanisms to lobby for youths political and civil participation. The Contact Group is committed to launch advocacy gatherings, media debates, round-tables and seminars aimed at:

Encourage the youths both female and male, to get engaged in political decision-making processes


Launch advocacy demonstrations to condemn religious, tribal, geographical and genders-based discriminations

Launch lobbying gathering to enforce the implementation of youths’ related policies, strategies, conventions, laws, rules and regulations


The Contact Group is aimed at launching advocacy-based gathering, seminars, media round-tables, and publishing needs-based advocacy-focused statements. Besides this, the Contact Group would hold meetings with government officials, parliamentarians, and politicians, national and international stakeholders to discuss the vital role of youths in governance so that the youths are able to raise their voice on any political, social, cultural and economic affairs at the national and international levels. The Contact Group would launch advocacy gathering through religious scholars in the mosques and hold round-tables broadcasted through mass-media. The Contact Group would hold meetings with the Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Education to standardize the educational curriculum and youths-related rule and regulations. For law enforcement, the Contact Group would launch peaceful demonstrations so that law is equally applied to all Afghan citizens. As most of the intellectual and Afghan elites are leaving the country, the Contact Group would launch awareness raising programs about the dangerous results of seeking asylum in other countries, in order to avoid illegal migration and encourage the youths to stay in Afghanistan, the Contact Group would launch advocacy demonstrations so that the Afghan government provide them relevant employability and space to join political positions. The Contact Group would launch advocacy debates through mass-media so that youths are aware of their civil and political rights.


The advocacy initiatives would definitely enhance youths’ civil and political participation highlighting the following changes:

Youths would have visible and vital role in political participation and political decision-making process

Youths overall social and economic welfare enhanced


Youths believe in diversity and pluralism and they would be tolerable in regards to ethnicity and religious cohesion, political opinion and social coexistence

Social coexistence enhanced towards establishing nation and state-building where youths enjoy peaceful and sustainable developed society

Youths would raise their voice on corruption, misapplication of laws, rules and regulations, insecurity, peace talks, constitutional reform, election etc.

Youths would take meaningful part as active and professional resource in symmetrical development

The culture of civilization and non-violence enhanced where youths enjoy their human basic and fundamental rights


Client Group Youths (both female and male political and civil activists)

Objectives

1. To launch 8 debates/discourses/gatherings to advocate for civil and political interests of youths by the end of 2017

2. To hold 10 ad hoc press conferences aimed at lobbying for youths’ political-life’s continuance and political inclusion by the end of 2017

3. To publish 10 statements, manifesto and prospectus based on circumstances, events and matters by the end of 2017

4. To hold 12 meetings with government figures by the end of 2017

Output

1. A number of 8 debates/discourses/gatherings aimed at advocating for civil and political interests of youths launched

2. 10 ad hoc press conferences aimed at lobbying for youths’ political life and political inclusion launched

3. 10 statements, manifesto and prospectus on circumstances, events and matters published

4. 12 meetings with government figures held

Outcome

1. Sense of political theory and political thoughts among youths created 2. Youths due reaction on current youths’ affecting matters enhanced and reflected

through mass-media 3. Youths’ voice on youths’ political presence and political inclusion raised4. Youths’ political concerns through statements, manifesto, and prospectus reflected5. Youths relationship with government figures enhanced and strengthened


Impact Youths participation is increasingly recognized, and youth groups have played an important advocacy role in the national political processes


When


To launch 8 debates/

discourses/gatherings to advocate for civil and

political interests of

youths by the end of 2017

Preparatory meeting to discuss the topic and agree upon it

Contact group

Preparatory meetings conducted

Agreement on the topic among the youth groups

Prepare the agenda and invitation letter (participants, high profile government official and media)

Advocacy team

Agenda and invitation prepared and submitted to relevant stakeholders

Youths willingness and political interests

Arrange the venue Secretary Quotations taken and payment made

Well-suited venue available for the advocacy program

Conduct the actual program ( debates/discourses/gatherings)

Contact group

Speakers, participants present and resolution made

Security is ensured


To hold 10 ad hoc press conferences

aimed at lobbying

for youths’ political-life’s continuance and political inclusion by the end of

2017

Pre-meeting or communication make to discuss the topic

Contact group

Agreement made on the topic

The contact group members has consensus on the topic

Assign the person to draft the resolution

Contact group

Draft of resolution made

Expertise available

Draft and share resolution with members

Responsible person

The resolution is finalized

Comments from the members on resolution

Prepare invitation and Invite the media

Advocacy team plus Secretary

Media is invited and press conference confirmed

CG outreach to invite the media

Conduct the press conference

Contact group

Media presence and Press conference is conducted

Rooms for dissemina-ting the contend of the resolution via media

To publish 10 statements,

manifesto and prospectus based on

circumstances, events and

matters by the end of 2017

Discuss over the topic Contact group

Agreement achieved on the topic

There is consensus over the topic

Draft the statement Assigned person

The statement is drafted

The assigned person accomplish her/his task on time

Share the statement with members

Contact group

Members comments on the draft

Members read and further strengthen it

Finalize the statement Assigned person

The statement is finalized

CG members’ commitment and expertise

Media is identified (newspaper, magazine, radio, TV etc.)

Advocacy Team

The media is selected

Media agree to publish the statement

Publish or disseminate the statement

Advocacy Team

People reacted against the statement

The statement is disseminated and read by the people


To hold 12 meetings with government

figures by the end of 2017

CG Members are selected to attend the meeting

Contact group

Members are selected

Members are ready to attend the meeting

Key agenda issues to be identified and agreed upon it

Advocacy team

Agreement on key agenda issues

Members discuss and agree on certain key issues

Meetings are arranged Contact group

Venue is selected and members are invited

Members are present to the venue

Discussion made in the meeting

Contact group

Members actively participated in the meeting

Members raise the youth demands and interest and influence the government figure for necessary changes in respective working areas.

Strategy Plan Implementation

A committee to overseas the implementation of the Strategic Plan will be established which is consisted of Contact Group’s representatives and Central Committee headed by the CG Executive Committee.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Audit

Why Monitoring and Evaluation is important to Contact Group?

• It provides the only consolidated source of information showcasing project Progress, Failures and Successes;

• It allows actors to learn from each other’s experiences, building on expertise and knowledge;

• It provides awareness on unintended outcomes

• It contributes to transparency and accountability, and allows for lessons to be learned and shared with relevant stakeholders;

• It reveals mistakes and offers paths for learning and improvements;

• It provides a basis for questioning and testing assumptions;


• It provides a means for agencies seeking to learn from their experiences and to incorporate them into policy and practice;

• It provides a way to assess the crucial link between implementers and beneficiaries on the ground and decision-makers;

• It provides a more robust basis for raising funds and influencing policies; and…

• It helps build Contact Group resilience

The monitoring and evaluation will have a clearly defined work-stream in Contact Group Annual work-plan and Annual budget-plans, with resource allocated to it. There will be a line-item in the project budget specifically relating to the monitoring and evaluation, with a minimum of 5 % of the project budget allocated to it, so that finance is ring-fenced to allow the Contact Group deliver against these requirements in Funding Agreement with the donors. It is also intended to use external consultants to perform end of project evaluation which needs to allocate additional funding to Annual Budget-plan.

Monitoring: The project manager is responsible for the progress of the project. To review progress of the project, the project manager will use a set of project management indicators and monitoring checklist. These indicators are chosen from different aspects of the project to give a view of the schedule and budget of the project. The results of the project monitoring will be used to inform Management Team and this will also be part of the project reporting to the respective stakeholders.

Internally- The secretariat and senior management of Contact Group will monitor the projects and strategy implementation with the support of the monitoring and evaluation department M&E. The establishment of a single Contact Group monitoring system is inherent in the strategic objective of the Strategy Plan. The department would provide the data-base for measuring Contact Group achievements but will be supplemented with independent external performance assessment.

Externally - The effectiveness of Contact Group in implementing the


strategy will be continually monitored by all those to whom Contact Group is accountable. This includes communities; government, donors and affiliated partners. Contact Group will seek, listen and respond to critical feedback.

Evaluation- By looking at what works and doesn’t work in a program, evaluation is vital to improve the Contact Group services to its clients, meet the funder’s needs and help attract future funding for desired interventions. Contact Group highly emphasize on the importance of understanding what changes have resulted from its interventions and learn about the models/approaches which have been used to achieve these changes. Evaluation helps the Contact Group to learn “for whom, where and under what circumstances did it work?” Contact Group believe that program evaluation is increasingly moving to qualitative measurement which looks at people’s actual experience and the impacts of programs on their lives.

Evaluation has to answer several questions, like: Does it work? How does it work? Why does it work? Who makes it work? With whom does it work? Can it be replicated? Can it be transferred? Can it be adapted? Can it be scaled?

For more in-depth evaluation, Contact Group will use DAC criteria such as:

• Coordination

• Coherence

• Relevance

• Coverage

• Efficiency

• Effectiveness

• Appropriateness

• Impact

• Sustainability

• Connectedness

Audit The objective of the annual audit of financial statements by an independent


auditor is to understand the fairness of expenditures, financial position, results of operations and cash flows in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. It also examines the financial statements, which increases the value and credibility of the financial statements produced by management, thus increase user confidence in the financial statement, reduce risk and consequently reduce the cost of capital of the preparer of the financial statements. Contact Group believe that auditing promotes transparency and accuracy in the financial disclosures made by the institution. Financial analysis and auditing is a vital tool, since it provides unbiased and independently checked information on which to base the Contact Group’s interventions in the future. The annual financial auditing will be conducted in early February of up-coming year.

Institutional & members’ capacity-building The Contact Group will conduct a members’ capacity-building needs-assessment during 2016 to highlight the training and skills required for quality performance. The institutional and members capacity-building is aimed at transforming the Contact Group into a participatory, decentralized institution, which is responsive to needs at the national level, with a focus on strategy plan, quality services and integrated program management. The CG Executive Committee and groups’ representatives will highly put their efforts to convert the CG’s opportunities mentioned in SWOL part, into CG’s strengths and decrease main weaknesses highlighted as: lack of ownership of initiatives amongst Contact Group members, frustration and radicalism, gender imbalance, lack of clarity among CG members regarding the CG and individual organizations goal, activities and programs and inadequate commitment among some of CG members and tackle with the limitations identified as: penetration on youths to misuse youths’ power, legacy of political leadership and administrative corruption.


Contributors Signatures

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strategy plan 2016-2017 - heinrich böll foundation · the final version of strategic plan was...

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